With carriers like Verizon mulling over adding additional charges to short codes running messages through their system (3 cents per message considered but currently tabled), it is our belief significant changes to how US cariers handle mobile marketing via SMS and MMS messaging fees will occur in 2009.

Currently the carrier has little to gain in rapidly approving short codes as their end users increasingly use unlimited text plans. This leaves the global aggregators making the large chunk of revenues per short code messaging fees. The aggregators and carriers must come together in 2009 to find a better revenue split to incent the carriers to more rapidly approve short codes and operate the short codes.

There is little to no incentive currently for the carriers to do such, and as a result, their certification departments are not properly staffed.

Let us all hope the global aggregators and the carriers can quickly and peacefully resolve this issue in 2009 without causing havok to this ever growing industry. It is certainly a top area to watch in mobile marketing in 2009.